Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1887-01-13

4 as soon as he could, in order to lind
smoother water, and, after carefully
studying the situation, changed my
course in accordance with this theory.
| sent men uloGt to keep sharp look
out, and report the least sight of boat
and to watch for anything that would
indicate she had gone down and was
past all help.
Noon came, and then O'Clock, and
then >, and no signs Of the boat. l
went to the cabin with my first officer
and the officer Of the Alabamian, and
we held council. One of them
thought ought to run OH another
course, and he gave his reasons for it,
and then the other, who had been wa
vering on the subject, joined him. |
persisted in my belief, aud stood alone
IN it. Somehow I could not see their
reasons as they did, and had firm
conviction that was right, and if the
captain Of the Alabamian had done
| what | should do under similar circnm
stances, he would be exactly in the
track l was running.
The afternoon went on, and about an
hour before sunset l went into the
croSstrees to have look on my own
account. l swept the horizon with my
glass over and over again, but saw
nothing and felt that terrible respon.
sibility rested on me, and what would
be SAID of me for holding my course
against the advice of the others, if |
should not find the boat.
Just as the sun was within hand
spikes length of the horizon | saw a
speck on the crest of wave. 1t went
down as the wave fell, and | believe
my heart stopped beating till the speck
came up again and showed itself.
There it was, and no mistake, and it
was exactly dead ahead as near as you
could draw line.
Il hailed the deck, and sent the fist
officer to take the wheel. | told him
not to vary the breadth of hair from
the course we were running. Then
came down and sent man up to take
my place.
''Have you seen anything p every.
body aked, as l reached the deck.
Nothing Pm certain OF answer
ed but we may have developm ents
presently. l don't know if my heat
was beating then, but presume it was.
'In little while-it may have been
a quarter of an hour, and just as the
sun was dipping into the horiz)n-the
man in the rigging called out, Sail
no =
''Wnere away p asked.
Dead ahead, sir. l think it's the
boat
My heart went up in my mouth, but
| tried to appear as cool as an iceberg.
OF course, every body else was all ex-
citement, and that was the more rea-
son why | should not be. Besides, |
was captain, and nobody else was, as
had shown them by sticking to my
course.
The night came on clear and beau
tiful, and we kept straight on. We
lost sight Of the boat as the daylight
faded, but in half an hour or so we saw
her again, and we still had her ght in
line. AS we neared her | KEEP the
ship up little, so as to bring the boat
under our lee, and | put men in the
fore chains and along the sides with
plenty of lines, and made all possible
preparations to make fast. | knew
the men in the boat would be SO Chill.
ed with the cold that they would be
nearly helpl-s SIS, and whatever was to
be done would have to be done by our.
selves.
We got them out all right, and it
was as had surmised, they were most
Of them too much benumbed to climb
up the sides, and had TO be helped.
When they were all safe on board we
tried to hoist the boat in, and she broke
in two with her own weight. How
she ever lived as long as she did is a
mystery.
Capt. Hitchcock told me they 70 we'd
as long as they could after leaving the
ship, with the intention of getting into
the smoother water beyond the gulf
stream, and he thought that in case |
fell in with the other boat | would do
Just as | had done. The two cabin
passengers took their share OF the labor
with the rest. They were both young
men, with difference Of perhaps five
or SIX years in their ages, and had been
travelling in Europe, the elder of the
two being tutor for the younger, who
was the son of prominent citizen Of
New York. They took passage at
Legh0rn for New York, and when
their turn came to enter the long boa t
they did so without complaint, and had